ICT Procurement Process

The University procures Information and Communication Technology (ICT) that is universal in design and accessible to all individuals, including individuals with disabilities. In the event this is technically infeasible or imposes undue burden, the University ensures an equally effective accessible alternative. All ICT must meet the applicable accessibility standards set forth in  Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Sec. 508), the  Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (ADA), and  University of Nevada, Reno Benchmarks for Measuring Accessibility

Please be aware, the ICT Accessibility Team currently only has the ability to review and approve ICT procured through requisitions/purchase orders in Workday with ICT-related spend codes.  ICT procured through other means (such as p-cards or freeware) don't come through us for review or approval.

Additionally, ICT up for renewal needs to be reviewed before the end of the subscription (annual) or contract (multi-year) term.  For information regarding whether an ICT needs to be submitted for review and by when, please see Step 2 below.

Lastly, the ICT Accessibility Team is working diligently to compile, review, and publish a list of pre-approved ICT for campus-wide use.  Unfortunately, that list is still a work-in-progress and not available publicly at this time.  If you have questions about particular ICT or previous submissions/approvals, please email accessibility@unr.edu to request more information.

ICT Procurement Process

STEP ONE: Gather Information and Required Documents

• Obtain accessibility documentation from the vendor.
  • The University currently accepts the VPAT/ACR Version 2.4 508 - March 2020 (includes WCAG 2.0) version from the Information Technology Industry Council.
    
    • Reporting Conformance to ICT Accessibility Standards
    • Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) Version 2.4 508 - March 2020
  • If the VPAT/ACR lists one or more items as not fully supported, either a list of alternative solutions/workarounds or a remediation plan is needed in order for the ICT Accessibility Team to approve use of the ICT.
  • The alternative solution/workaround for each issue listed as not fully supported needs to describe how equal access and communication will be provided through an alternative means.
  • The remediation plan needs to indicate when each outstanding issue will be remediated by either with a specific date or month.
  • Additionally, the University requires that the vendor provide an Accessibility Statement. The Accessibility Statement should detail the vendor's commitment to accessibility and a means to report issues and request assistance.
  • If the vendor does not provide a VPAT/ACR, or alternative solutions/workarounds do not exist, or a remediation plan is not available, and/or the vendor does not provide an Accessibility Statement, an exception request will need to be completed and approved by the ICT Exception Authority in order for the ICT Accessibility Team to approve use of the ICT (see Step 3).

STEP TWO: Submit for ICT Review

• Complete and submit the ICT Accessibility Review Form and upload accessibility documentation from Step 1 above.
• An ICT Accessibility Review Form must be completed for each requisition whether it is for a new product/service or it is an existing product/service being renewed.
• Submitting a review request before implementation/renewal is key.
  • The ICT Accessibility Team prefers that you submit your ICT Accessibility Review Form at least 30 days before renewal to allow for processing, reviewing, and testing (if needed).
  • 15 days is workable, but can lead to possible overdue invoices.
  • 5 days is generally unreasonable and difficult to meet, especially if there's a lack of documentation, the vendor is unaware of accessibility, or testing is needed. This scenario will most likely lead to overdue invoices.
• If you are procuring a new product/service, it is highly recommend that an accessibility clause be added to the contract or terms and conditions before signing.  The accessibility clause should state that the vendor is responsible for ensuring the product/service is, and continues to be, accessible according to the University's Benchmarks for Measuring Accessibility as described in the University's Accessibility Policy & Procedures (i.e. WCAG 2.0 Level AA) during the duration of the contract and that if any accessibility issues arise, the vendor will address the issues in a timely manner or collaborate with the University if necessary. The cost of remediation should be covered by the vendor, where applicable (i.e. vendor’s templates versus customer created content).

STEP THREE: ICT Review Process

• If your accessibility documentation indicates the product or service is not fully supported (not accessible), the ICT Accessibility Team may require one or more of the following in order for the ICT to procured:
  • An Equally Effective Alternative Access Plan (EEAAP). The ICT Accessibility Team has developed a standardized Equally Effective Alternate Access Plan (EEAAP) form which, when complete, outlines the known accessibility barriers, alternative solutions/workarounds, means of communicating accessibility barriers, any resources necessary, and the responsible parties. 
  • An Equally Effective Alternative Access Plan (EEAAP) and Exception Request.  If it is not technically possible to make the ICT you are procuring accessible, or if doing so would require a fundamental alteration or would result in undue financial and administrative burdens, or the vendor lacks the accessibility documentation necessary to make a determination of the accessibility of the ICT, an EEAAP and Exception Request must be completed and approved in order for the ICT to be procured.
    
• If your procurement is for a website that is publicly available and doesn't require a login to use, and said website is determined to have outstanding accessibility issues either through automated, manual or functional testing, a Website Remediation Plan (WRP) will need to completed and signed by the appropriate parties.  The Website Remediation Plan (WRP) will detail what issues exists, how those issues will be corrected, who will correct the issues and by when.  Per the University's Accessibility Policy & Procedures, the requestor will have 60 days to bring the website into compliance.  Additional time may be granted on a case-by-case basis.

STEP FOUR: ICT Testing Process (if applicable)

• If the product/service is student- or public-facing, or has a high-impact/high-use, it may also require internal testing to identify any potential critical barriers to access and/or verify claims made by the creator of the ICT. You will be contacted with more details if such testing is necessary or when testing slots become available.

In Progress ICT Accessibility Review Requests

Please allow up to 5 business days to process your initial request.  Incomplete, incorrect, or missing information or documentation can extend the processing, review and approval times.

To check the status of your recently submitted ICT Accessibility Review Request, please visit:  https://unr.teamdynamix.com

Questions

Please send questions or comments to accessibility@unr.edu and the ICT Accessibility team will respond as soon as possible.